Warriors’ Klay Thompson takes questionable shots, but...

1of10Golden State Warriors guard Klay Thompson (11) on the court for warm up before an NBA preseason game against the Los Angeles Lakers at SAP Center on Friday, Oct. 12, 2018, in San Jose, Calif.Photo: Santiago Mejia / The Chronicle

6of10Golden State Warriors guard Klay Thompson (11) on the bench during a timeout in the first half of an NBA game against the Brooklyn Nets at Oracle Arena on Saturday, Nov. 10, 2018, in Oakland, Calif.Photo: Santiago Mejia / The Chronicle 2018

7of10Klay Thompson (11) follows his shot attempt in the first half as the Golden State Warriors play the Toronto Raptors at Oracle Arena in Oakland, Calif., on Wednesday, December 12, 2018.Photo: Carlos Avila Gonzalez / The Chronicle

8of10ATLANTA, GA - DECEMBER 03: Klay Thompson #11 of the Golden State Warriors shoots against Jeremy Lin #7 and John Collins #20 of the Atlanta Hawks at State Farm Arena on December 3, 2018 in Atlanta, Georgia. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)Photo: Kevin C. Cox / Getty Images

9of10Klay Thompson of Golden State looks to drive by Rodney Hood of Cleveland during Wednesday nights game as the Warriors face the Cavaliers at Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland on December 5, 2018. (Kyle Lanzer/Special to The San Francisco Chronicle)Photo: Kyle Lanzer/Special to The San Francisco Chronicle)

10of10Golden State Warriors guard Klay Thompson (11) and Atlanta Hawks forward John Collins (20) fight for control of the ball during the second half of an NBA basketball game Monday, Dec. 3, 2018, in Atlanta. Golden State won 128-111.(AP Photo/John Bazemore)Photo: John Bazemore / Associated Press

Christmas arrives next week, which means the NBA season is approaching its midpoint. The Warriors already have played 32 games. They’re in the thick of their long grind toward the playoffs.

So maybe we should stop saying Klay Thompson is merely in a shooting slump. Maybe it’s time to suggest he’s not taking especially good shots this season, a byproduct of his team’s strangely stagnant offense.

Thompson is a terrific outside shooter, obviously. The Warriors do not win three NBA championships in four seasons without his textbook jumper. But he thrives on moving without the ball, popping off a screen, taking a crisp pass and rising into the air for an open shot.

The Warriors are not making those passes as often as they have in recent seasons, as our Connor Letourneau detailed after Wednesday night’s 108-103 loss to Utah. This leaves Thompson without great looks and instead launching contested three-pointers. Or long, closely guarded two-pointers.

He doesn’t drive to the basket, or create his own shot, as effectively as Stephen Curry or Kevin Durant. Too often, Thompson settles for forced jumpers — and it shows in his numbers.

He’s shooting 44.7 percent from the field, after posting a career-best 48.8 percent last season. Most notably, he’s shooting 34.4 percent on three-pointers (on pace to become the worst of his career) after posting a career-best 44 percent last season.

“I think we’re taking decent shots, not great shots,” head coach Steve Kerr said after Wednesday night’s game, responding to a question about the struggles of Thompson and Draymond Green. “If you’re not getting great shots, you’re not going to shoot a high percentage.”

During several Warriors games this season, it has been easy to think Thompson shoots too much. He catches the ball and quickly fires away, sometimes at awkward angles. That’s unlike him.

He’s averaging a career-high 19.3 shots per game; he took 16.2 per game last season, more in line with his career average (15.9).

This year’s numbers are skewed by Curry’s absence for 11 games because of a groin injury. Thompson, trying to fill the void, hoisted 22.5 shots per game while Curry was sidelined. That number drops to 17.6 with Curry.

So the issue really isn’t Thompson shooting too much. This is about quality, not quantity.

Ron Kroichick has worked at the San Francisco Chronicle since 1995, when he came from the Sacramento Bee. In spring 2020, during the coronavirus pandemic, he has temporarily moved to Metro to cover higher education and general-assignment news. In normal times, Kroichick is The Chronicle’s golf columnist, covering the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am and all major championships in Northern California (including the 2019 U.S. Open at Pebble Beach and 2020 PGA Championship at Harding Park). He also writes features on the Warriors during the NBA season, and on various other topics – ranging from the 49ers/NFL and major-league baseball to college football and basketball – the rest of the year.